As motorcyclists we sometimes face problems when paying for fuel. Struggling out of bulky motorcycle gloves, finding the wallet, needing to remove our helmets for the cashier, and not wanting to leave valuables such as Sat Navs on the bike. Indeed, sometimes petrol stations are reluctant to serve motorcyclists at all after dark due to ride-away thefts.
Well there might be a solution to these difficulties: petrol companies have started to introduce mobile payment apps that allow you to pay for your fuel from your bike whilst only removing the clothing you need to. Shell (Shell GO+ app), BP (BPMe app) and Esso (Esso app) all have solutions which will work on your IOS or Android smartphone.
Apart from the convenience of paying the apps also have loyalty schemes where you can get rewards for visits and also with Esso collect Nectar points.
The Shell were the first to market with a mobile app, and as I use this one regularly this review will concentrate on the Shell GO+ app. I have used the BPMe and Esso apps as well.
To get started you will need to register so just download the app on your smartphone and fill in the details.
Using the apps is very easy: just arrive at the petrol station, start the app and then you select your pump, after that you need to provide a means of payment, a credit card or Google or Apple Pay. This can make the payment experience very easy. Once the payment is approved the petrol pump will be unlocked and the app will invite you to fuel. Once finished the app will tell you the amount purchased and there is a log of past transactions.
That’s all there is to it.
The Shell GO+ app will give you a free fuel reward after 10 visits but you will need to pay in the kiosk to use rewards (the cashier will scan your GO+ card from your smartphone app). This short video may also be useful.
As a final incentive Shell are now automatically carbon offsetting your motoring when you use the GO+ app. There is nothing extra to do and after 10 visits you get a statement showing how much fuel you have purchased, and the carbon offset by shell to cover production, distribution and use.
So, in summary there are a lot of advantages to using the new mobile apps as a motorcyclist. The main advantages are convenience, and also the automatic carbon offsetting with Shell, so why not give it a go?
You must be logged in to post a comment.